"Catherine, Alice, Elizabeth, Cleopatra." Tatyana silently recited the names of the fallen. She drew a deep breath, trying to forget the dull ache of the wound in her abdomen. Every one of those names belonged to a sister. Whether they had been creations of the Monarch or ordinary girls, they had shed blood in her stead. "Vera, Nastya, Alina, Valeria." The only sounds in the hall were stone being carved and sisters chanting prayers. Tatyana closed her eyes and let her consciousness sink into the incense and prayers. She silently finished reciting the names of her fallen sisters, then recited them again. Each name was like a thorny lash striking her back.
No one would question the Sisterhood's creed, because they had all witnessed miracles with their own eyes.
Tatyana looked up at the golden statue as an unbearable pressure slowly rose alongside pale blue smoke. This was why every sister was willing to sacrifice herself, she thought. This was the cause for which all of them had to bleed. On the nearly completed mural, Vera and Catherine were the only two sisters depicted with pure white wings.
She had not told the ladies everything. She still could not remember what Lady Catherine had said to her before leaving Vera's body. Even in the nightmares that plagued her, that fragment of memory remained indistinct, like an erased tape filled with nothing but blank static. She only remembered that after all the light had vanished, Vera had slowly drifted down into her arms, soundless as though she had merely fallen asleep. Everyone present had seen that, but Tatyana was certain she had seen more than that.
"They have fulfilled their duty and shall stand at the Monarch's side, enjoying glory for eternity." Lady Tita, head of the Sisterhood, proclaimed from beside